Wanting
by fascinatrix femina
Summary: [SasuSaku] Now that Sasuke had a taste, will he still be at peace with himself? Or will the secret continue to haunt him for as long as he lives? Sequel to “Worst Days”
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

(SasuSaku) Now that Sasuke had a taste, will he still be at peace with himself? Or will the secret continue to haunt him for as long as he lives? - Sequel to "Worst Days"

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine.

**A/N:**

Hello again, everyone! Just like "Worst Days", I edited this story, too... Why? I wanted to get rid of the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, so it'd be easier for you guys to read this. Teehee! XD

Oh, and as usual, to those newbies out there, you guys have to read "Worst Days" first before you read this. You won't be able to understand some parts of this story if you don't read that first.

Please do enjoy!

**Wanting**

By: fascinatrix femina

It was exactly four o'clock in the morning.

Stars still adorn the dark-blue sky when a lone figure arrived in a secluded area deep inside the forest. The faint rustling of the leaves and the gentle shushing of the breeze seemed to whisper certain obscenities in his ears as he stood there, alone and unmoving at the center of the grassy field.

'What an ungodly hour to wake up!' would have been the ideal complain for those people who had slept and dreamt soundly that night. Anyone would have cursed under his or her breath because four o'clock in the morning isn't exactly a pleasant time for anyone to be up and about. Or better yet, anyone would have gotten rid of whoever bastard or whatever damn thing that forced him or her to wake up that early. The sun hasn't even risen yet! What in the hell would a person do in this forest at this time of day!

Strangely enough, the dark-haired young man didn't seem to mind it at all.

If he did, he sure had an impressive way of hiding it. He didn't grumble one bit or even let his mouth twist into a deep scowl. His expression was calm and not a single trace of an angry vein popping on his forehead could be seen in his face. He headed inside the forest in absolute coolness, a coolness that would have rivaled even the most cold-hearted person he knew in his lifetime.

Anyone would have been amazed at his patience. It wasn't very common to see a person who had the guts to wake up at four o'clock in the morning so he could take a trip inside a forest in order to stand there and do nothing without getting the least bit irritated about it!

So how did he do it? Simple, by not sleeping and actually having a purpose for going inside the forest, of course!

He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't deal with the nasty feeling of waking up that early in the morning just to space-out inside a damn forest, you know. Why would he do an idiotic thing like that?

The only reason why he was here in the first place was because he needed to deal with… something, that was why he didn't choose to sleep that night. He wanted to end this… something, that was why he went to the forest in order to train.

He let a sigh of frustration escape his lips as he lightly massaged his temple in order to stop another upcoming headache. For reasons unknown to him, he had been having these continuous headaches for a few days now, and he didn't like it one bit.

Again, he mentally asked the heavens why in the hell do they seem to love to torture him so much...?

His dark eyes narrowed when he felt a sudden chill rushing up to his spine. A gust of wind had engulfed his entire body in a very cool embrace, giving him goose bumps and leaving him shuddering like a pathetic idiot.

He knew he should have bought his jacket with him…

Darn it… the heavens DO love to torture him, don't they?

Sighing at his bad luck, he forced those disturbing thoughts away from his mind as he headed towards one of the wooden dummies so he could start his daily training. It wasn't supposed to be this early, but did he have a choice? He couldn't sleep because he was being plague by nightmares. And the only way to relieve him of those nightmares was to remain awake.

He was no Gaara. He clearly knew that. And he was well aware that his body would give up on him anytime soon if he continued to submit to these sleepless nights.

But what can he do? If he chose to sleep, those nightmares would haunt him.

He didn't want to let that happen ever again! And he'd force himself to remain wide-awake for a few days more just to avoid those dreams if he had to! He wouldn't sleep, not until he found out how to end those nightmares that kept on tormenting him every damn night!

_I can't believe I'm letting myself get too affected by those dreams…_ He thought with a scowl as he glared at the stupid-looking dummy in front of him. In one swift movement, he threw a powerful punch on the dummy's head, beheading it in an instant.

He hated those nightmares… They weren't like any other he had ever experienced before.

The young man stepped back a little before delivering a massive kick against the dummy's side. The thick wood cracked loudly, much to his satisfaction, before exploding into millions of pieces. He silently watched the breeze gently carry some of the dust towards the sky before he decided to look around for another unfortunate dummy to vent his wrath on.

The first time he encountered that nightmare was right after that faithful incident. He was shocked because he never thought that it would haunt him even in his sleep. But instead of trying to think of a reason why he experienced it or what that dream actually meant, he decided to ignore it. He reasoned that he was just plain exhausted, his mind not working properly and his imagination getting out of control again, that was why he had that cursed dream.

However, two days after that, another nightmare came up. And this time, it was more intense than the last. In fact, it was so intense that he immediately woke up and bolted upright on his bed. He tried to ignore it again, forcing himself to believe that he just tired himself out that day, that was why his mind ran wild again.

The young man studied the lone dummy in front of him. It was newly built, not even a dent or scratch could be seen on any of its sides. Its wooden body was smooth and shiny while the black Konoha symbol that was painted on its chest could still be seen as clear as daylight even if only the moon's rays lightened the whole forest. It was so perfect and unique, unlike the other dummies whose wooden bodies were downright filthy, smelly, and mutilated. In fact, the Konoha symbol on their chests ceased to exist anymore.

He clearly noticed these and glared at the dummy in front of him in contempt. He didn't think it was fair for the other dummies that only one of them was perfect. He didn't think that it was fair that only one of them wasn't beaten and battered when their only purpose was to get pummeled in the first place.

With a snort, he tore his gaze away from it and vented his wrath on the dummy next to it.

For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to destroy it... At least not right now. He'd save this one for later.

Thoughts invaded his mind again and returned to a peculiar night wherein he woke up from another nightmare with a strangled gasp. He looked down at himself and was shocked when he found out that he was shaking uncontrollably and was sweating like crazy. He felt like he was on fire! He looked around and found out that his bed sheets were all tangled up and his pillows were scattered all over the floor. That was when he finally realized that his dreams meant serious business. They wouldn't go away even if ignored.

The nightmares didn't stop there for it continued to torment him for several more days after that, each of them getting more extreme that ever before. He tried to fight those dreams from haunting him, but much to his shock, he found out that he didn't have the will to do it.

He really hated himself for that.

If only he could use his Katon jutsus or chidori to dispel those disturbing dreams away and chase them out of his head forever...

But since when did the heavens start to make things easier for him…? They just LOVE to torture him, remember?

Suddenly, the already stupid-looking dummies all around him started to look even more infuriating in his eyes. If he didn't know any better, they looked like they were mocking and laughing at him and his sufferings! With a grunt, he jumped high and did a succession of hand seals. "Katon Goukakyuu no jutsu!" A series of intense flames burst forth out of his mouth. Without his ingenious accuracy and chakra control, his flames would have eaten up the whole forest by now. Instead, the dummies were the only ones that were swallowed by the fire.

As he watched the fiery scene below him, he remembered how the heavens proved how unkind they were to him the night before. The nightmare that he experienced that night scared the living daylights out of him so much that he fell right off his bed!

That was the very last straw. He didn't think he'd ever want to sleep again…

When he landed gracefully on the ground, his lips were just about to twist into a satisfied smirk at the mess he had made when a lone dummy at the farthest corner of the field caught his onyx eyes. It was the only one that was still intact and not burning into ashes.

How in the hell did he miss destroying that dummy…?

When he shifted closer to get a better look, his eyes widened in surprise at what he found out.

It was the perfect-looking dummy from before. Its body was slightly burned and its face was a bit messy, but it was still in place, proud and standing with all its glory.

If it didn't reminded him of the maddening persistence of his nightmares and a certain person who was the sole cause of his nightmares and frustration, he would have been impressed.

Instead, he scowled darkly at it.

Without thinking, he started to gather great amounts of chakra in his hand. He could feel hundreds of prickling sensations surge throughout his arm as if he was being punctured by hundreds of needles. Blue electricity started to bolt and flash all around his hand as the excessive chakra that were gathered in his palm started to create the loud chirping sounds of thousands of birds. The once silent forest was now full of so much noise.

If it weren't for that person… he shouldn't be in here in the first place.

He stepped back a little before he started to sprint towards the dummy, his hand ready and aching to wreak havoc.

If it weren't for her… he shouldn't be suffering like this.

The dummy helplessly stood there, but its stupid-looking face still stared right back at him as if daring him to continue his desire to destroy.

She was the one who made his whole life so damn complicated!

He was coming closer, only a few steps away and that unfortunate dummy would soon explode into millions of pieces. He smirked inwardly, hoping that once he destroyed this dummy, everything would turn back to normal and he'd finally regain his peace of mind.

He was only a few feet away.

The dummy looked so helpless, so helpless that the irritated young man almost wished for something that would force that dummy to move.

He was only an arm's length away…

…when an image suddenly flashed inside his mind.

His eyes widened in panic. His body swerved to the right and the chidori that was supposed to hit the dummy hit the large tree behind it instead. A thundering noise disturbed the whole forest and the animals that were sleeping peacefully woke up in an instant and began to run away from their homes. A flock of birds were forced to fly out of their nests as the large tree that clashed against the young man's chidori fell to the ground with a deafening crash.

Slowly, after the noise died down and the dust finally settled, an eerie silence crept into the air. The young man, apparently unhurt, quietly emerged from the rubbles. If he was like any other normal person, he would have rejoiced at the fact that he managed to cut down a tree with a single strike.

But he wasn't like any other normal person. Instead of rejoicing, he became angrier. And that anger was clearly shown by the way he gritted his teeth together and how he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white.

"Damn it!" The young man cursed under his breath as he ignored the unfortunate tree and slammed his fist down to the ground. He was supposed to end this now! It was so close! Why did he have to pull back at the very last minute?

He tilted his head to the side so he could send a death glare at the dummy behind him. The image from before gradually returned and he saw a pink-haired kunoichi materializing in his eyes. She was staring right back at him with a charming smile on her face.

Damn it….

This isn't good… definitely not good at all.

With an exhausted sigh, he slumped down to the ground, his eyes still staring at the image of his teammate. A large part of him wanted to get rid of her and kick her out of his sight so he'd finally be at peace, but there was also that persistent part of him that wanted to take her down and brand her as his.

He wanted to go with the former part, but how in the hell could he do that if he couldn't even bring himself to lay a finger on an image of her? In fact, seeing her hurt was enough to make him want to go insane! And forgetting about her was also out of the question since she was always there, physically or mentally, whether he liked it or not.

So does that mean he'd have to do that persistent part of him?

Heck no, although, technically, he could do that. Actually, he knew that she was willing enough for him to claim her as his, but no. He'd never do that to her.

She deserved someone better.

Inwardly, he blamed himself for being stupid enough to get stuck in this mess. He knew he shouldn't have tasted her. If only he didn't let his control slip and kept his hands away from touching her creamy skin. He could still feel how warm her body was when pressed against his own as she continued to murmur in pleasure against his ears. She tasted so sweet, like honey, and he found himself addicted to her taste. She was so soft, as if urging him to…

"SHIT!" Here we go again… and he often wondered why he kept on having those disturbing dreams every damn night. He really should train himself to stop thinking about her or he'd never be able to sleep again!

"Sakura… you're one heck of an annoying girl…" He grumbled as he cringed slightly when the bright rays of the rising sun blinded his eyes for a few seconds. He watched the sky mixed the warm colors of yellow and orange with the cool colors of black and dark blue. The moon and his twinkling companions slowly faded from view as the sun continued to rise from the darkness. He could hear the cheerful chirping of the birds on top of the trees as the once silent forest burst into life once again.

If he wasn't in a frustrated mood, he would have thought that the whole scene was peaceful. Instead, he frowned at the unfairness of it all. Why was it that he was the only one who was suffering? Why couldn't she suffer the same torments that he kept on having everyday, too? Why did she have the freedom to act so carefree and normal while he had to struggle with his damn feelings whenever he saw her or got close to her?

Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

_First and foremost,_ his sub consciousness told him, _she had hit her head on the wall so she couldn't remember a damn thing about any intimate moments that you both shared from before. Second, she's head-over-heels in love with you so don't think about getting rid of her that easily, unless you get blunt about it and tell her to leave you the hell alone!_

"Fuck this…" He groaned as he felt another headache coming up. This was getting out of control. He didn't want this! Before, he only had one purpose in his life, and that was to get stronger in order to get revenge on his brother. Now, he was torn between a girl and his revenge. It would have been easier if he continued to stick with his purpose, but that persistent image of Sakura kept on popping inside his head every damn time!

Just as he thought about that, an image of Sakura, with her face sunny and cheerful as ever, suddenly emerged out of the bushes. The morning rays of the sun highlighted her face, making her look so unusually pretty for him. Before, Sakura was just Sakura for him. He never saw her as beautiful or anything like that.

So… why in the hell was he starting now?

"Great…" He muttered in annoyance as he glared at the image before turning his gaze somewhere else. And to think that he was training himself to forget about her…but here he was, seeing an image of her yet again. He narrowed his eyes at the hand that was resting on his side as he concentrated on thinking about something else like revenge, power, and his brother.

A few seconds passed by before he tore his eyes away from his hand and returned his gaze to where it was before, all the while thinking that the image must be gone by now. To his surprise, the image of her was still there and was watching him with an equally surprised look on her face.

He blinked. His images of Sakura never looked at him in surprise.

His eyes narrowed at the figure. She was now looking at him with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

She looked so…. real.

And much to his shock, another image came out of the bushes.

It was the 'beautiful' green beast of Konoha.

…………….

_What the…?_

That was when he finally realized that he wasn't seeing things.

Never, ever, in his entire lifetime would he dare to dream about that thick-eyebrowed guy…

…nor dream about Sakura with another guy other than him.

He saw Lee throw a smile at Sakura before he started to talk to her. Sakura stopped looking at him as she turned to face the weird guy in green.

He watched this simple interaction with a frown on his face. What was Sakura doing here? Why was Thick Eyebrows talking to her so casually? And just when in the hell did Lee started to get so damn irritating to him?

Lee suddenly turned to look at him with eyes wide and a huge smile on his face, his bright rows of white teeth glistening under the sun. "Sasuke-san! What a surprise!" He exclaimed cheerfully, too cheerfully for our brooding dark-haired young man.

_Yeah… what a fucking surprise._

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.

**Chapter 2**

"That's it, Sakura-san! You're getting stronger!" Sakura felt her pink lips finally curve into a genuine smile as she listened to Lee's encouraging words. His voice unusually soothed her, and it was mainly because she was desperate enough to seek comfort from just about anyone right now.

Tension was lingering in the air. She didn't know why, but she could feel it so strongly. It was so thick and intense that she could feel her insides clench so tightly that it actually hurts!

With a look of determination on her face, she let out a battle cry before directing the most powerful punch that she could muster against Lee's palm. She grinned in proud satisfaction when she saw his smile falter for a few seconds, his eyebrows narrowing for a bit. Finally! Her punch was getting into him! She couldn't help but feel proud of herself!

"Great job, Sakura-san!" He exclaimed happily with that usual toothy smile plastered on his face even if his hand became quite sore from receiving that blow. "That punch was plain excellent!"

"Thanks, Lee-san." Sakura smiled, her face beaming. However, just like before, her happiness only lasted for a few seconds. Her anxiety grew stronger, and she had this sudden urge to go right ahead and panic in front of Lee.

Sakura had no idea why she was feeling so nervous. There was just no logical reason for her to get so uneasy like this! The morning was sunny and beautiful, the forest lively and bustling with cheerful animals, and most of all, her skills were improving! Instead of being happy and thankful for the pleasant day, she kept on worrying about nothing!

Just what was wrong with her anyway?

"Sakura-san?" Lee waved a hand in front of her face, disturbing her train of thoughts. "Are you all right, Sakura-san?" The worried look that Lee sent her way made her want to yell at herself for acting stupidly. Why was she feeling so nervous? Surely if there was any danger, Lee would be the first one to sense it. But the fact is, Lee didn't look uncomfortable at all. Once again, she tried to convince herself that nothing was wrong. She was probably just tired that's all.

"Y-Yeah… I'm okay." She blurted out and mentally slapped herself for stuttering like that. Now she looked even more stupid. She noticed Lee frown for a bit before nodding at her with a smile.

"Okay, Sakura-san. If you say so… If you want, we could rest for a while." He offered politely and as gentlemanly as ever. Much to Sakura's surprise, Lee gently laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a bit as if to tell her that whatever problems that she was currently facing would turn out all right in the end.

"Uhh…" Before she could say something, the tension began to grow...

...and a loud crack was heard on the other side of the forest.

Sasuke had planted a powerful kick against the dummy's side. The force of his kick made a large dent on the unfortunate dummy's body. Sakura watched in mild fascination as he pulled back before throwing a punch on the dummy with a determined look on his handsome face. She would have stared at him for a few moments longer if only he didn't stopped in his tracks and directed his sharp gaze at her. The strength of his gaze made her want to tear her eyes away from him in nervousness.

Sakura's heart began to beat wildly against her chest. There was something in that look that made her cheeks burn as if they were on fire.

For a strange moment… Sakura felt like she had seen that look somewhere before… and there was this odd feeling that told her that it didn't stop there… like he did something more…

A sudden headache jolted her out of her thoughts, making her flinch inwardly in pain. Soon enough, the memories faded away, leaving her to ponder if they were just dreams or not.

She decided that she must have been hallucinating.

_But… why does he keep on looking at me like that…?_ Sakura mentally asked herself with a frown on her usually smiling face. Sasuke had been like this for the past few weeks and it was starting to really bother her. She wanted to ask why, but as usual, she didn't have the courage to come right out and ask it. Before, Sasuke rarely glances her way, and if he did, he did it for one reason or another.

But now… she sometimes catches him looking at her for no reason at all.

To make things even more interesting, there was this one time that even Naruto, the ever so clueless fox boy, managed to catch him stealing glances at her every so often. And when Naruto busted him, Sasuke had reacted so violently that he sent the unfortunate blonde flying over the bridge and splashing down to the river.

To say that Sakura was shocked that time would be the biggest understatement of the year. Even Naruto, whose big mouth usually explodes into a fountain of curses and complains whenever Sasuke beats him on something, may it be physically or verbally, was speechless for once.

Okay… so maybe it was only for a few seconds. But considering that it was Naruto we're talking about here. He would have lunged at Sasuke in a blink of an eye for making a fool out of him!

_Maybe…_ Inner-Sakura came alive again inside Sakura's mind. _He's finally fixated on you._

The idea wasn't exactly foreign to Sakura, but she did have a hard time believing it. Uchiha Sasuke? **The** Uchiha Sasuke attracted to her?

For her, it was already a known fact that Sasuke would never like her in a way that was more than friendship. The guy was an avenger. The only things he really cared about was his revenge and how he could get even stronger in order to defeat his brother. He would never see her in a way that she wanted him to see her…

Although… a part of her still couldn't help but rejoice at the possibility that Sasuke **might** be feeling something deeper for her from the way his onyx eyes stare at her every time.

Sakura found herself clinging to that hope.

"Umm… Sakura-san…" Once again, Lee broke her thoughts, thoughts that constantly kept on drifting to a certain dark-haired enigma.

"Ah!" She exclaimed in surprise as she immediately tore her eyes away from Sasuke. She forced herself to chuckle, hoping that Lee wouldn't suspect anything. "Right, Lee-san… Uhh… what were you saying again?" She asked, mentally scolding herself for forgetting that Lee was here with her.

She watched him shake his head before he let out a deep sigh. "Sakura-san…" He started, his voice hurting. It made Sakura feel like she was the most terrible girl in the whole world. "I can't train you if you're distracted. What's wrong? Maybe I can help?" He offered her with a smile, his hand still gently gripping her shoulder.

Sakura bit her lip. She could feel her anxiety growing even worse. In fact, the intensity of it was enough to choke her to death! _Lee-san! Can't you feel anything? I think we're in deep trouble here…!_ She thought about saying those words out loud, but she found her mouth refusing to cooperate. Couldn't he sense the ever-growing tension around them? Sakura could swear that she was already seeing angry sparks dancing in front of her eyes!

Why was it that Lee couldn't feel any of it at all?

"Is it Sasuke-kun?" Lee suddenly said, his voice sounding even more hurt.

_Sasuke-kun…?_ Sakura thought in surprise, obviously not understanding what Lee's question actually meant. Sasuke was the cause of all her nervousness? Well… his stares WERE a bit unnerving, but this tension that kept on loitering in the air couldn't possibly be his doing! His stares couldn't scare her this much! Whoever or whatever created this uncomfortable atmosphere was downright angry about something, and Sasuke didn't seem to have a reason to be angry.

Or… did he?

Sakura couldn't think of a reason for him to be angry. It wasn't like she was bothering him or anything, after all!

But then, if it wasn't him… who else could it be? Orochimaru didn't seem to be anywhere near the area. And if he was, then there would have been war!

But if neither Sasuke nor Orochimaru was creating this uneasy atmosphere, then why was it that she was still feeling so nervous, considering that she didn't have a reason to be?

Truth to be told, she still had no idea why.

"Do you want to train with him instead?" If Lee didn't say those words with so much sadness or how he slowly withdrew his hand from her shoulder, Sakura wouldn't have paid any attention to what he'd just said. As soon as the words finally settled inside her mind, it nearly broke Sakura's heart.

Just how many times was she going to ignore Lee like this? She wanted to smack herself for being so insensitive to her friend. Lee was kind enough to sacrifice his time in order to train her, but what did she do in return? Gawk and think about Sasuke and forget about everything else!

What a friend she was turning out to be…

"No!" She immediately replied, her guilt eating her whole. "I mean… Let's go train!" She gave him one of her most charming smiles, one that she usually reserves for a certain dark-haired young man in blue. This made Lee blush so much that his cheeks looked like ripe tomatoes. It made her giggle.

But just like before, her happiness ended as fast as it came. The tension around them grew so thick that she found herself gasping for air! It grew much worse than ever before! In fact, it made her hands shake in fear!

A crashing sound was heard and both Sakura and Lee's attention turned to the source of the noise. The dummy that Sasuke was punching earlier had exploded into dust. The couple silently watched as Sasuke stood beside the decimated dummy with an expressionless look on his face. Sakura would have thought that nothing was wrong with him if only she hadn't notice the way his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

Then, much to Sakura's extreme shock, Sasuke glared at them with a murderous gleam in his onyx eyes. Sakura didn't know how long Sasuke stared at them like that before he turned his back on them and disappeared into the woods.

Strangely enough, the tension inside the forest was gone, only to be replaced by an eerie silence.

"Sasuke-san's working so hard… We'll just have to work harder, too!" Lee, who seemed forever oblivious to the tension or to Sasuke's threat, suddenly exclaimed in a cheerful tone. Sakura, on the other hand, was too stunned at the moment to realize that Lee was actually there talking to her.

* * *

The forest was bustling with cheerful sounds of different animals living inside the forest. The morning rays of the sun highlighted the trees and the plants, giving more life to the happy mood of the woods. The chirping of the birds and the gentle rustling of the leaves on top of the trees created delightful melodies, melodies that have the ability to make you want to sit down and listen to the music contentedly, giving the impression that you're bonding with Mother Nature herself. 

Sasuke, however, did not want any of it... In fact, he had this great urge to destroy and crush something with his bare hands. Those ridiculous and childish nature stuff were just making his dark mood grow even darker! With his mind in complete turmoil, he walked deeper into the woods, not caring where his anger would lead him while forcing himself to ignore those irritating noise all around him.

Anger? Why would he be angry? He was perfectly calm!

With a frown on his usually expressionless face, he stopped in his tracks and punched a nearby tree with his fist, making a hole in the trunk and his fist bleed in the process.

He wasn't angry…. He was just… frustrated….

…. and definitely not jealous.

Sasuke snorted, thinking that the whole idea was plain stupid. Him? Jealous? Yeah, right. Why would he be jealous? Because Sakura managed to improve her skills and was working as hard as him now?

Sasuke wanted to laugh inwardly at the absurdity of his thoughts. Sakura could train all she wants, but he doubt it that she'd ever get stronger than him! And besides… he wasn't angry because of that.

Something light suddenly brushed against his face, interrupting his thoughts. It got stuck on one of his cheeks, so he raised his hand to his face in order to pluck the offending object away from his skin. His mouth curved into a deep scowl when he found out what that object was.

It was a leaf.

A completely harmless and puny little leaf.

Now why would he be upset over a leaf?

It was not because it decided to stick on his skin on the wrong place at the wrong time, nor it was because it made a smudge of mucky trail of dirt on his cheek.

So why was he irritated then?

People should think simply these days. Wasn't it obvious?

It was because the leaf was green.

He hated green. No. Actually, he despised that cursed color. You could bet your life on it that you would never see him wear anything that was green for as long as he lived.

Truth to be told, he never really paid that much attention to colors, thinking that it didn't really matter much anyway. But for some weird reason, he began to have this newfound hatred for the color green. In fact, he could feel his blood boiling whenever he saw anything that has that pathetic color.

And considering that he was inside a forest, a place where the color green ruled with an iron fist, anyone would have been able to guess what mood he was in right now.

With narrowed eyes, he crushed the poor leaf into tiny bits in his hand.

Well… some things were better left unsaid.

"Shit…" He muttered under his breath as he finally got out of the woods. Soon enough, he arrived at the familiar and busy streets of Konoha. It was early afternoon so mobs of busy people could be seen loitering all around the place. Sasuke frowned, thinking that he was going to have a hard time passing through these groups of people, but much to his convenience, the people made way for him without a word or a complaint.

Maybe it was because of that dark and intimidating aura that surrounded him... or that dangerous glint that was present in his sharp eyes that did the trick.

Sasuke didn't really care any less.

Before long, the noise slowly settled down and the crowds of people all around him began to thin. He finally arrived at his place. You could easily tell because people were scarce in the area. As usual, he ignored the ghostly atmosphere as he stepped inside his house and went straight to his room. Silence greeted his face, and strangely enough, he eagerly welcomed it.

He needed to relax... and release his inner demons.

With a deep and exhausted sigh, he stumbled on his large bed, not bothering to get out of his dirty clothes and change into something that was more comfortable and clean. He shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to sleep and just forget about everything else, especially the two people whom he left in the forest earlier.

Soon enough, he finally managed to do just that.

And for once, his nightmares didn't come to torment him.

Instead, he dreamt of himself beating the crap out of a thick-eyebrowed guy in a hideous green suit.

Unconsciously, his lips twitched into a smirk.

* * *

Sasuke wanted to find something to eat. He really did. In fact, it was his growling stomach that forced him a while ago to get out of the comfort of his own bed. 

Since there was no food in his house, he decided to go out and grab something to eat before his stomach decides to eat him alive. He was still not in the mood to buy groceries, mainly because of his lack of sleep, causing him to act grumpier than usual. If he had stayed there any longer, he'd surely starve to death.

When he woke up that late afternoon, he realized with a frown that he hadn't eaten anything ever since he went to the forest to train.

And that was what? Twelve hours ago?

The persistent growls of his stomach were getting louder in every passing minute. Only a few blocks away and he'd be seeing hundreds of restaurants for him to eat delicious foods at…

But after seeing Thick Eyebrows emerging from the woods with a smile that was as large as his thick eyebrows, he instantly stopped in his tracks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

_Where was Sakura?_ Was his immediate thought. Realizing this, he mentally slapped himself.

To his disgust, he watched as Thick Eyebrows pranced along the streets like a happy little child who had just been given a lollipop by his mother. Thick Eyebrows didn't notice him standing there and glaring daggers at him. He was far too absorbed in his own little world to care that the infamous Uchiha had his deadly eyes set on him.

It irked him to no end.

When Thick Eyebrows was finally gone, Sasuke shifted his gaze to the forest, unconsciously wondering if his pink-haired teammate was still there. _No. I'm not going in there._ He thought with a scowl on his face as he forced his feet to move away from the forest and just forget about the person inside it.

He heard something rustle from behind. Somehow he got this feeling that he was in big trouble. He started to walk faster, thinking that if he hurried, nothing bad would happen to him. He was about to turn at one corner of the street when her chirpy voice began to ring in his ears.

He froze in his tracks.

_MOVE!_ His mind yelled at him as he forced his head and his traitorous eyes not to look back.

"Sasuke-kun!" She called out to him again, her voice sounding impeccably sweet in his ears that it was starting to irritate him a whole lot more.

Realizing that he couldn't get away from her clutches, Sasuke sighed deeply before tilting his head to the side in order to look at Sakura and ask what she could possibly want from him.

As soon as he saw what she looked like, however, his eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets.

Her red dress was a mess. There were cuts everywhere, revealing more skin than Sasuke could ever imagine. Her black tight shorts underneath that red dress was slightly ripped upwards, giving Sasuke a great look of her creamy thigh and one of her long legs. The zipper of her dress was busted, letting just about anyone to see that enticing valley of skin between her breasts.

Sasuke found himself staring at her in shock. "What the hell happened to you?"

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.

**Chapter 3**

"Huh?" Sakura blinked at him in confusion. Sasuke's frown went even deeper, refusing to repeat what he just said earlier. He cursed himself, his mind reminding him that he wasn't supposed to say something. She was the one who came up to him and demand whatever shit to him, not the other way around!

Instead of speaking, he motioned his eyes at her torn dress for a split-second before looking away with a grunt, hoping that Sakura would be able to comprehend what he was talking about. He fought the sudden urge to look at her again. The way her chest heaved up and down made the zipper of her dress move down by itself little by little…

He wondered how much skin he'd be able to see until she becomes aware that she was unconsciously undressing herself before him…

_Shit…_ Sasuke wanted to punch himself on the face for thinking about dirty thoughts. Ever since he unwittingly tasted her that fateful day a few weeks ago, he kept on craving for more. No matter how hard he tried to forget about it, the temptation to have more of her kept on getting stronger everyday.

_Stupid, fucking hormones…_ Gods… he was better off without them in his life! 

Forcing himself to look at anything else except the barely-clad girl in front of him, he directed his focus on one of the trees past her shoulders.

He needed to concentrate… Not looking at her when she looked so incredibly enticing like this was as difficult as hell!

His concentration was interrupted, however, when he sensed two grown men heading toward their way. Sasuke suddenly had an urge to shove Sakura behind him. The way those bastards stared so lecherously at his teammate made him want to advance towards them and pluck their disgusting eyes out of their sockets.

He stopped himself, however, because he didn't have the right to do that even if he wanted to. He didn't own Sakura.

So, he settled with glaring at the two men with all his hatred instead. His piercing eyes warned them to back off right now or else he was going to do something they'd definitely wouldn't like!

Sakura was one of her precious friends… He wasn't gonna stand here and do nothing while those bastards molest her with their disgusting stares! Although he was well aware that he himself tend to ogle at her sometimes, at least he was making an effort to stop his thoughts or actions from venturing any further! These two guys looked like they want to pounce on her right here and now!

Much to his satisfaction, the two men stopped in their tracks, their faces masked with absolute fear. Instead of walking ahead, they scrambled back to where ever hell they came from.

With that menacing glare, who wouldn't?

No one messes with an Uchiha.

When the two men disappeared, his attention returned to Sakura's still clueless face. He frowned. How much longer was she going to stare at him like that? Would it have been better if he had told her about her torn dress?

She'd better hurry up. He was starting to have a difficult time trying to focus his attention solely on her face. If something didn't catch his attention soon, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from looking at something else. That exposed skin just between her breasts was starting to look very interesting to him…

The awkward silence lingered around them for a few more minutes before realization finally dawned on Sakura's face. She looked down at herself and gasped in surprise. With a face that was as red as her dress, she hastily brought her arms up in order to hide whatever exposed parts of her body that her hands would be able to cover.

No matter how hard Sasuke tried, he couldn't hide his disappointment after seeing that she had zipped her dress.

Much to his relief, Sakura finally found her voice. "Well…" She started. "Lee-san kinda got rough on me today. He messed me up real good!" She chuckled lightly. "I never knew Lee-san could be so aggressive when motivated! Look at my dress! He almost tore it apart!"

Sasuke's mind twisted her words in his head, forcing himself to see visions that made him want to gag in disgust. He shook his head. _What am I thinking?_ He screamed at himself.

But his thoughts couldn't help but wonder…

_Messed you up…? Aggressive…? Almost tore your dress apart…? _He tried to convince himself that his mind was just playing tricks on him again. He couldn't stop his eyes from narrowing, though.

There was no way in hell that Sakura and Thick Eyebrows…

"….he kept saying, 'Harder, Sakura-san!' or 'You've got to go faster, Sakura-san!'. He kept on urging me until my body completely went limp!" Sakura went on, not aware that her listener was starting to have difficulty maintaining his cool composure.

_Harder…? Faster…? _Those words screamed continuously inside his throbbing mind. A low growl escaped his throat. Sakura was far too busy chattering to notice the way he gritted his teeth together in anger.

_What the fuck..._ Sasuke's blood was starting to boil _…did they do that morning?_ No, he shouldn't jump into conclusions. He saw them training that morning! He saw them with his own eyes! That was the reason why he stormed out of the forest in the first place! 

"…it took me several tries before I managed to please him in the end. But boy, did we sweat so much like pigs after that! It was so wonderful! I feel so fulfilled!" She exclaimed happily as if that was the most amazing thing that had ever happened in her entire life.

Sasuke, however, thought that it was the most infuriating and disgusting thing that he had ever heard.

_Several tries…? Managed to please him in the end…? Fulfilled…?_ His mind completely altered what Sakura was trying to say to him. From her explanation and the way she looked right now, he was having major trouble believing that they were really just training that morning!

His hatred began to increase.

A certain thick-eyebrowed guy's days were numbered…

"Umm… Sasuke-kun?"

He snapped out of his raging thoughts. Unconsciously, he sent Sakura a dangerous glare. He was so pissed off. His hands were aching to strangle someone! He knew he shouldn't have left them that morning! No wonder that bastard Lee came prancing like a happy idiot when he saw him a while ago!

_Fuck this…_ Even if it was the last thing he'd do, he'd definitely teach that son of a bitch a lesson he rightfully deserves!

Sakura looked at him with shocked and fearful eyes. Sure enough, she didn't expect him to react like this. Well, he didn't expect himself to react like this either! His anger just came up and exploded without his knowing! Using all his will power to calm down and wear that infamous poker face of his, he grunted and started to walk away from his pink haired teammate.

What was he going to do again? Before Sakura came up and completely messed up his day?

He couldn't remember anymore… even if his stomach growled loudly in his ears.

* * *

Sakura gaped at Sasuke's retreating back. She was completely speechless.

_What's wrong with Sasuke-kun…?_ She wondered, her concern for her teammate growing even more. Why was he so angry with her? Did she do something wrong? She wasn't pestering him! And she was definitely not asking him to date her! He asked her why she looked like a mess right now and all she did was to explain it to him!

She was getting annoyed at the way he was harshly treating her. However, she told herself that there must be a good reason why Sasuke was mad at her like this. There had to be!

_I mean…Sasuke-kun had a very good reason why he thinks I'm annoying._ Her thoughts went back to the messy incident that the two of them had with Sasuke's fan girls. That experience taught her a lot of things. Because of it, she finally realized why Sasuke hated his fan girls. If it weren't for her stopping him, he would have killed them right then and there!

She realized just how much she was being such a pest in Sasuke's eyes. This time, she really wouldn't ask him out on dates anymore. She wouldn't try to hug him in her arms, chase after him to the ends of the earth, or try to flirt with him like she usually does when they were young.

Admiring him and not being able to express it openly to him would be hard for her, but she'd sacrifice that natural trait of hers just for him. She would care for him as a friend, even if it hurts her inside.

_So why was he angry with me? I didn't do anything wrong!_ Sakura thought in confusion and slight irritation. She didn't deserve this cold treatment! If he thought that he could get away with this then he'd better think again!

Gathering all her courage, she quickly ran to catch up with Sasuke and demand from him what was really going on. "Sasuke-kun!" She called out, hoping that her voice was loud enough for him to hear.

Sasuke ignored her and didn't stop walking. Sakura frowned at this, remembering all the times Sasuke gave her the cold shoulder for the past few days for no reason at all. She picked up her speed, but to her surprise, Sasuke picked up his pace, too.

Sakura got the message that he wanted to be left alone, but she wasn't going to stop running after him until he tells her what was wrong with him. She had enough of his mood swings, and she really wanted to know why he was starting to act so much like a jerk!

_As if he wasn't such a jerk before…_ Inner-Sakura exclaimed.

"Sasuke-kun!" She called out to him again as she pursued him, her intent on finding out about his ill manner giving her energy that she didn't know she possess. And so, they ran, ignoring the couple of odd looks from people who have seen them. Sakura fought the urge to laugh.

The scene they were creating must have been hilarious! Sasuke, the Uchiha prodigy, was running away from her! She expected him to stand his ground and yell at her to leave him alone, but he decided to just run away.

_I wonder what's wrong…_ Sakura thought in concern for the tenth time that day. He seemed so determined on running away from her…

She gasped when Sasuke suddenly halted into a stop in front of a deserted alleyway. Sakura almost shrieked when she thought that she was going to bump into his back. She sighed in relief when she stopped herself on time.

"What the hell do you want?" Sasuke growled out, his back still facing her. Sakura noted that his shoulders shook for a moment before his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Ooops… Maybe running after him wasn't such a good idea…

"Uhh…" She trailed off, the courage that she had gathered earlier slowly disappearing along with her ability to speak. What was she going to say again?

Sasuke turned to face her. She was expecting him to be angry with her or something, but when she saw his face, it was expressionless, completely devoid of emotion. "What?" He asked stiffly as he bore his sharp eyes on her.

Much to her surprise, she saw his eyes twitch for a bit.

"Umm…" Was all she managed to utter. She cleared her throat, trying to bring back a bit of her courage. "What's going on, Sasuke-kun?" She thanked the heavens that her voice didn't shake as she blurted her thoughts out loud.

He was silent for a bit, his face still emotionless. "What are you talking about?" He asked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why are you so upset?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. The glares that he directed towards her this morning and a while ago made her feel like she did something really bad.

"I am not upset."

"Yes, you are! And not only that, it's me that you're upset with! Did I do something wrong?"

Silence filled the air.

"I told you, I'm not upset."

Sakura frowned. "Sasuke-kun… I'm not being such a pest to you anymore." She took a deep breath. "I don't think I deserve any of your cold shoulders. You asked me why in the world I looked like a mess and all I did was answer your question. I told you I got tired from training with Lee this morning and you stormed off just like that! What's wrong with you?" She knew she wouldn't be able to say these things to Sasuke if she was still a thirteen year-old girl. But times have changed, she was sixteen now. She had enough gall to talk back to Sasuke like this.

But her heart still wouldn't stop pounding in her ears.

"Training?" His face looked cynical when he said that word. "You call _that_ training?"

Sakura fumed, completely oblivious to what Sasuke really wanted to say. "Yes! I was training, for your information!" She couldn't believe this! How could Sasuke act so much like a jerk! He wasn't like this towards her before!

_Like hell he wasn't. _Inner-Sakura said.

He didn't respond as he regarded her with disgust in his eyes. Sakura was surprised at his expression. Why was he like this? She just couldn't understand. Was he upset at her training? He told her before that she shouldn't waste her time asking him out on dates and try to train herself instead. She was doing just that! She was trying her best to improve her skills! What more did he want from her?

Was it because she was training on the same training grounds as him that morning? If he didn't want that then he should have told her sooner. She would have gladly searched for another place to train just for him. But from the way he was treating her right now, he would just have to deal with it. She wasn't planning on moving out of the training grounds anytime soon. It wasn't his to begin with, anyway!

She wasn't going to be his loyal lapdog that he could easily order around anymore.

"What were you doing with Thick Eyebrows?" He suddenly blurted out. Sakura saw his eyes widen in surprise as he muttered curses at himself. She was shocked, too, not expecting him to ask something like that. She then realized that he didn't really mean to say those words out loud.

But… why would he think about what she was doing with Lee? It wasn't his business and Sasuke rarely paid any attention to anyone's business unless the situation calls for it.

Unless…

Sakura shook her head in denial. There was no way. No way, but Inner-Sakura forced her to believe at the absurdity of the thought.

Sasuke was jealous.

The idea knocked the air out of her lungs. She staggered back, unable to believe the possibility of that thought. Sasuke was jealous? No way…

Inner-Sakura squealed in joy inside her mind.

And she couldn't deny the fact that her anger towards him began to fade away.

"Sasuke-kun…" She started, still unable to believe it. "Are you jealous?"

Sasuke's face twisted into a scowl and he looked at her incredulously. "Whoever gave you that idea?" He asked sourly, his temper rising. The way he looked at her made Sakura doubt her thoughts about Sasuke being jealous.

"Then why are you upset? And why do you care about what I did with Lee-san this morning?"

"I'm not upset. And I don't give a damn about what you and Thick Eyebrows did." He said in an annoyed voice. "Now leave me the hell alone."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, not believing every word that he had just uttered to her. "I'm not leaving until you tell me, Sasuke-kun. I don't like it when you get angry at me for no reason at all!"

Sasuke looked like he was fed up with all her pestering. He took a step closer to her and glared at her with all his might. Sakura shrank back, fear gleaming in her green eyes. "Sakura… you're really… annoying." He growled in her face, his dark eyes flashing in anger.

Sakura stood her ground. She didn't want to back down. She reminded herself that she was fed up with him as much as he was fed up with her. She held his intense gaze, trying to make him see that she was serious, that she wouldn't let him treat her this way any longer.

The way he was looking at her forced her mind to suddenly flash blurred images in her eyes that she couldn't quite understand. All she managed to recognize was someone was also looking down at her with an intense expression. She then remembered something soft and wet trailing down her skin. If she didn't know any better, it looked like she enjoyed the sensation immensely. She wanted to know more, to remember more, to see who was doing that to her, but her head began to throb painfully. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping that the pain would go away.

Much to her disappointment, the images were gone.

"Sakura? Sakura?" She was driven out of her thoughts when Sasuke's voice echoed in her ears. She fluttered her eyes open, and soon she became aware of her surroundings. Sasuke was gripping both her shoulders and was lightly shaking her, concern clearly seen in his eyes.

She groaned, wondering what had happened to her. She rubbed her temple in an attempt to ease her headache. It took a few seconds for her to realize that Sasuke was still holding her by the shoulders.

She flushed scarlet and attempted to escape from his touch. It wasn't that she minded, but she knew that the whole situation would only turn awkward for the both of them if this continued.

Sasuke, however, wasn't planning on letting her go anytime soon. "You okay?" He asked. His voice was unusually tinged with worry.

Sakura nodded dumbly at him and tore her eyes away from his face. It wasn't everyday you get the infamous Sasuke to worry about you while holding you at the same time.

They remained silent for a few seconds, neither knowing what to do at the moment. Sakura was having trouble breathing. The stillness in the atmosphere was starting to suffocate her! "Sasuke-kun?" She started before lifting her gaze to meet his.

He voice caught in her throat as Sasuke looked down at her with a very intense expression. She felt something stir inside her stomach. The way he was looking at her made her want to melt beneath his feet. She realized in a fraction of a second, that her grip on her shoulders tightened.

Much to her shock, she found him slowly leaning down towards her.

She knew his intent, but she simply could not believe her eyes, but even so, her eyelids began to drop down.

Slowly…

"SAKURA-CHAAAN!"

Faster than the eyes could see, the couple bolted away from each other as if they were burned.

Their gazes locked towards the bubbly blonde-haired fox boy and his shy Hyuuga companion.

_Naruto…_

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.

**Chapter 4**

In all the sixteen years of Sasuke's life, he never did believe in miracles. But all that changed in an instant when the fox boy came and jolted him out of his raging desire for the annoying pink-haired girl who was standing so provocatively right in front of him.

If Naruto hadn't stopped him in time, he really would have kissed her.

That single thought sent chills down his spine…

Kissing her means the death of him. He wasn't sure if he'd still be able to stop himself from doing something much more satisfying…

Gods, from the way he was feeling a while ago, he might have branded her as his own right then and there!

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he hurried towards them, his right hand waving frantically in the air in his usual greeting. Sasuke frowned, disliking the way Naruto seemed to be so bubbly and carefree all the time. **He** should be the one who should suffer these hormonal problems! Not him!

"N-Naruto…" Sakura stuttered, her voice all shaky and nervous. Sasuke glanced at her direction and noted the way her cheeks continued to flush as red as a tomato.

Sasuke couldn't help but be amused.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! What are you doing--" Naruto stopped in mid-sentence as soon as he got a look at Sakura's worn out dress. His eyes widened in shock before he looked at her straight in the eye. "What the hell happened to--" He stopped again when he laid eyes upon the dark-haired Uchiha.

The fox boy stared hard at Sakura's torn dress before looking right back at Sasuke. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them for a few long seconds before he finally stopped and glared daggers at Sasuke.

Somehow… Sasuke knew what the dolt was thinking…

"Sasuke, you bastard!" Naruto's fuse exploded as he pointed an accusing finger at the indifferent Uchiha. "How dare you lay your hands on Sakura-chan in a place like this!" He was just about to get ready to pounce on Sasuke when Sakura whacked him hard on the back of his head.

"Naruto, you pervert!" She screamed at him, her expression still as embarrassed as hell. "Sasuke-kun didn't do anything to me, so keep your dirty thoughts to yourself!" She scowled at him before crossing her arms over her chest and turning away with a huff.

"But, Sakura-chan…!" The fox boy complained as he rubbed the small bump on his head.

"Be quiet!"

Sasuke felt his lips twitch at the comical sight. These two never change…

"If Sasuke bastard didn't rape you…" Sakura glared dangerously at him. "Err…touched you…" he chuckled nervously. "…then what happened to your clothes?" He motioned to her dress and almost got a bloody nose when her busted zipper revealed the tiny triangle of skin between her breasts.

Sakura yelped in surprise and covered herself from Naruto's perverted eyes. Hinata, who was hiding behind Naruto, immediately rushed towards Sakura in order to assist her.

Sasuke felt the familiar urge to shove Sakura behind him again. He never did like any other men seeing her like that. Even if he knew that Naruto already had his Hyuuga girl, he still couldn't help but be a little possessive…

Possessive? Now where in the hell did that come from?

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" He heard the Hyuuga girl, Hinata, shyly asked Sakura. Sasuke noted how her pearl eyes fill with utmost concern as she helped their pink-haired teammate with her busted zipper. "Did someone hurt you?"

Sakura shook her head in embarrassment. "Uhh… no, Hinata-chan." Sasuke caught her stealing a glance at him before she once again directed her gaze at the Hyuuga girl. "Lee-san and I trained this morning. He got a little rough on me, that's all."

"A little rough?" Naruto asked sarcastically as he once again looked at Sakura's battered form from head to toe. "It's more like Thick Eyebrows messed you up real good!" He was about to open his mouth to say something again when a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Say…" He started, his eyes squinting as he rubbed his chin in wonder. "Why **were** you training with Thick Eyebrows, Sakura-chan?"

Again, Sasuke wanted to thank Naruto for that. He tried to ask Sakura about that himself, but the words came out wrong. Instead of asking her why she was training with Thick Eyebrows, he sounded like he was accusing her of doing something really indecent with the green beast!

Well… he **did** accuse her of doing something disgusting with that damn beast.

They were surprised when Sakura suddenly got all quiet. She heaved a deep sigh before she decided to meet Naruto's confused gaze. "I want to be strong… and Lee-san seems willing enough to help me train."

Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? But you could have asked me to help you, Sakura-chan! I'd be more than willing enough to help! Hinata-chan will help, too! We could train together!" He exclaimed excitedly as he pulled the blushing Hinata beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Sasuke made a quick glance at Sakura's direction and noticed the way her green eyes flashed with distant longing. However, as soon as her lips twisted into a smile, the sadness was gone. "N-No, thanks." She replied cheerfully. Sasuke could sense that her smile was fake. "Besides… with you being so silly and reckless and all, I doubt Hinata-chan and I will learn from you!" She teased him with a laugh.

Naruto protested with a frown and a loud 'Hey!'. The two girls giggled at him before Naruto gaped at Hinata in disbelief. "Not you too, Hinata-chan!" The Hyuuga girl stifled her giggle, but Sakura just laughed even harder.

Sasuke, who still hadn't said a word ever since Naruto and Hinata came, watched them silently at the sidelines. He wasn't exactly watching them. His gaze was more focused on the pink-haired girl. Her radiant smile, no matter how fake he knew it was because he could still sense the sadness surrounding her, irritated him.

It irritated him to no end because he knew that her smile was going to haunt him again tonight.

Sensing that he'd only get into more trouble if he stayed here any longer, Sasuke backed away from them as silently as possible before he turned around and walked away. He wouldn't want Sakura pestering him again with all her ridiculous questions. He could only hope that they wouldn't sense his escape.

But that was wishful thinking in his part.

"Hey! Sasuke bastard!"

Damn that stupid dead last! Sasuke didn't stop walking, knowing that Sakura's going to call him next. He really didn't want to hear her voice right now. He could hear loud footsteps running after him, forcing him to grit his teeth together in annoyance. "What do you want, Naruto?" He snapped. He didn't want to deal with his idiocy right now.

"Lighten up, Sasuke!" Naruto slapped him good-naturedly at the back, almost making him stumble in his steps. Sasuke gave him one of his dangerous glares, wishing that it'd scare the wits out of the stupid fox boy so he'd just leave him the hell alone. But since when did Naruto get scared of him? He followed him until the girls couldn't hear or see them anymore. "You did something to Sakura-chan, didn't you?"

Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes at him. "You left your girl behind?" He asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

Naruto's shoulders slumped down. "We were supposed to go out on a date, but since Sakura-chan needs some help, we have to postpone it. I wouldn't want Sakura-chan to walk stark naked in front of everyone to see." He exaggerated, but Sasuke was secretly relieved that Naruto was the one who had dealt with Sakura's problem, not him.

He didn't want to walk Sakura home with her looking so…. Sasuke stopped his train of dirty thoughts.

"…that Thick Eyebrows shouldn't have left her looking like that, right Sasuke bastard?" Sasuke then realized that Naruto was babbling again. He had to admit that he was right, though. Thick Eyebrows shouldn't have left her looking so vulnerable like that.

That was why he was going to teach that damn beast a lesson or two.

"Anyway…" Naruto started again. "You did something to Sakura-chan didn't you?" He asked him again, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"What are you talking about, dolt?" He snapped, wanting to get away from the fox boy as soon as possible. He was supposed to do something and it was already getting late!

If only he remembered what he was supposed to be doing…

"Well…" Naruto scratched his head. "Hinata-chan said something about… never mind." He shrugged it off, thinking that what he was about to say wasn't all that important. "You wouldn't have the gall to do something like that anyway…" He muttered mostly to himself, but Sasuke heard it loud and clear.

"What?" He narrowed his eyebrows at the grinning fox boy. He didn't like it when he had that annoying grin plastered on his face. It was as if he knew something that he didn't.

"Well…" Naruto snickered. "Hinata-chan said that you were gonna kiss Sakura-chan a while ago." Naruto's face lit up, his grin turning devious. "Can't believe that Sakura-chan finally got through you! Damn, it's about time she knocked some sense on that stubborn head of yours!"

Sasuke's hands were itching to strangle the grinning fox boy beside him. "What in the hell are you talking about?" He looked at him incredulously.

"Stop acting like you don't care, Sasuke bastard." Naruto scolded him as if to say that he knew what he was going through. "Do you really think that I'm stupid enough not to see the way you stare at Sakura-chan for the past few days?"

Sasuke's glares turned icy.

"Well… okay, fine! Hinata-chan noticed it first, but anyway…" Naruto's face turned serious. "If I were you, I won't run away. I have no idea why Sakura-chan still has feelings for a bastard like you, but hell!" He threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "I get sick and tired of the way you guys strangle me to death with all that sexual tension going around whenever we go on missions!"

Sasuke was shocked, but he didn't dare show it. Naruto had to be joking. He had masked his desire perfectly well!

…right?

"Even Kakashi-sensei's starting to look uncomfortable, but then again… maybe he's just itching for some action." Naruto said before he drawled on again with his lecture. "Sakura-chan likes you and I know that you like her back! You're just insensitive enough not to realize it. Stop acting like a rock and get on with it! Just look at what happened to both me and Hinata-chan!"

"Yeah, right. It took a year before you finally had the guts to ask her out… dimwit."

Naruto glared at him for a whole minute. "At least I'm not acting like a sex-crazed bastard."

Sasuke's dark expression was deadly enough to kill. "I'm not gonna take any advice from a dolt like you."

Naruto clenched his fist at him. "Oh yeah? Then I'm gonna make you… for Sakura-chan's sake."

How annoying could this day possibly get…?

* * *

"Damn that Naruto…" Sasuke muttered angrily as he brushed the blood on his busted lip using the back of his hand. He limped his way up the steps of his house and smirked when he remembered how Naruto staggered a few feet away from him when he delivered one of his powerful punches against his jaw.

_That'll show him not to mess with me…_ He thought in smug satisfaction as he slowly climbed up the stairs to his room. Once he pushed his door open, he allowed his body to slump down on top of his bed. The mud from his clothes stained his bed sheets, but he was too tired to even care.

Even if some of his body parts were aching as hell, he was glad that Naruto decided to have a brawl with him. He needed to relieve his stress, and training didn't seem to work as well as having a fight with someone, especially with Naruto. He had to concentrate a lot whenever he was fighting with him, meaning that he was free from Sakura's persistent images even if it was just for a short while.

He scowled when he remembered Naruto telling him to stop fighting his desire for their pink-haired teammate. What in the hell's name was that dolt thinking? He was definitely not in his right mind!

Didn't everybody know that he doesn't have the time to get involved with a girl? He still had a mission to finish! A girl, especially Sakura, would only stray him off the path that he was so used to following! He followed that path ever since his bastard brother wreaked havoc in his life. He wasn't going to stop until he got his revenge and not even Sakura could stop him. He remembered telling her that.

And he also knew that Naruto heard him say that.

Naruto didn't seem to be aware of the danger, not to mention the emotional sufferings, that Sakura would go through if he succumbed to his desire for her. If he gave in to his feelings, he had to commit and devote himself to her. And that was one thing he was trying to avoid.

It wasn't that he didn't want her. His animal urges were proof of that. He just didn't want to be the cause of her sorrow.

He cursed the unfairness of life. Why was it that he was the one who had to suffer the most? Why was it that he was the only one who was suffering these unwanted urges?

If only he hadn't kissed Sakura back then. If only he hadn't tasted her. If only he hadn't touched that enticingly soft body of hers…

Naruto's words flashed inside his mid yet again. He told him to give in to his feelings… to his desire…

He couldn't do that! He wouldn't do that! But it seemed so damn unfair that he had to suffer like this. The more the days gone by, the more his desire grew even stronger. He swore that someday, Sakura would find herself sprawled on his bed with him on top of her!

So what was he going to do? Totally deprive himself of sleep so his nightmares wouldn't add to his raging desire? Stop seeing Sakura so that she wouldn't provoke him from doing something that he knew both of them would regret someday? Or just imprison himself inside his house, hoping that his teammates wouldn't remember him and drag him out?

He was a hopeless case… He knew it from the very first time he tasted her with his lips.

Again, and this time more persistent than ever, Naruto's words of giving in to his desire disturbed his thoughts.

_There's got to be another way to get out of this mess…_ He thought desperately. He just had to think very hard. He shut his eyes tightly, hoping that some way or another, he would be able to find a solution to his distress…

Just then, a single thought crossed his mind. His eyes snapped wide open.

The idea seemed absurd and overly dangerous for him, but he couldn't think of a better idea. But then again, it wasn't like he was the one who started this crap in the first place. He just realized that it was her plan that started all these shit! It wasn't his fault to begin with! He was a man after all, and it wasn't his fault that he'd feel this way after all that had happened. Sooner or later, she'd be able to understand the reason for his actions.

And it wasn't like he was going to do it because he wanted to. He was going to do this so that she would know about what really happened a few weeks ago. If he remembered it right, she had asked him about it.

She wanted to know why he was angry with her, right? She wanted to know why he kept on avoiding and ignoring her, right?

Well… it was time for her to know the truth. Maybe this was the whole reason why he was suffering so much. Maybe his conscience wanted him to tell her the truth about what really happened between them.

It wouldn't be right to keep this little secret to himself after all.

She had every right to know. It was **her** plan that started it.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine. 

**Chapter 05**

Sakura could feel her heart thumping wildly against her chest. She didn't know if it was because she was sparring with Lee or it was because of the presence of a certain Uchiha who was also busy practicing on his own at the other side of the forest.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her eyes from stealing glances at Sasuke every now and then.

Blood rose to her cheeks when a particular memory decided to flash inside her mind. She shook her head vigorously, attempting to kick the images away from her head.

Sasuke nearly kissed her…

She cursed herself. She shouldn't think about **that!** Not now!

But the images still continued to haunt her… and to her surprise, a distant memory of Sasuke doing something more to her crossed her mind. She saw an image of him as he leaned his face down… down to her neck and…

_What in the world…?_

She gasped out loud when Lee's kick almost connected against her side. It was a good thing that she managed to leap away just in time. _Darn it… I'd better concentrate! _She thought with a frown as she forced herself to keep her mind on Lee's moves… and not on something… disturbing.

She'd better stop thinking about Sasuke!

Besides, if she kept on thinking about him, Lee's going to beat the heck out of her again! She already swore to herself that Lee would be the one to go home with clothes ripped, not her!

With a loud battle cry, Sakura rushed towards Lee, her fist directed at his grinning face. Much to her disappointment, he raised both his arms and blocked her attack. "You're too slow, Sakura-san!"

Sakura knew that Lee didn't mean any harm with what he just said, but still, she couldn't help but feel a little bit irritated. _Too slow, huh?_ She thought with a frown before delivering a barrage of punches and kicks. She bit her lip in annoyance when Lee easily blocked them all.

"Great job, Sakura-san… but you've got to try harder!" Her eyes widened when she saw him grin widely. He pulled his arm back and would have managed to punch her on her stomach if she hadn't leapt away just in time. She was breathing heavily when she landed on the ground a few meters away from him.

He was so fast! She almost missed that punch!

"You've got to concentrate more, Sakura-san." Lee told her with a smile. "Let's see if you can block this attack." He said before he rushed towards her with his arm extended.

Sakura gritted her teeth and prepared herself for Lee's incoming attack. Just as she was about to raise her arms to cover herself, an uncomfortable feeling washed over her, forcing her to lose her focus.

_What…?_ She wondered briefly why she suddenly felt anxious. As if by chance, her attention turned towards the person on the other side of the forest.

Sasuke was staring at her again… and this time, his gaze looked predatory…

Sakura's mouth went dry. She felt her heart leap in response to his steady gaze. Beads of sweat trailed down on the side of her face as she tried her best to avert her eyes away from his.

"S-Sasuke-kun…." She murmured before her breath got knocked out of her lungs. Pain surged through her stomach, making her cry out in surprise. She staggered, making her stumble backwards before she collapsed to the ground with an undignified yelp.

Lee was beside her in an instant. "Sakura-san! I am so sorry! Sorry!" His voice was filled with concern and guilt. "I thought you were… I was just… I never thought…! I'm so sorry…!" Sakura couldn't understand what Lee was trying to say, but she tried to ease his worries with a smile. Her smile, however, turned to look more like a grimace because of the pain.

"I-It's okay, Lee-san…" _But it sure hurts like hell! _Sakura thought as she rubbed her sore stomach.

_It's your fault for not paying any attention! _Inner-Sakura scolded her, her inner self once again making its presence known. _If you weren't so engrossed with Sasuke-kun all the time then you would have been able to block that punch!_

_Well, could you blame me?_ Sakura retorted back to her inner self as she once again tried to tell Lee that she was okay and the punch didn't really hurt that much. She sighed in defeat when Lee continued to fuss over her. _Sasuke-kun was staring at me as if he wanted to… to…_

Her cheeks burned at the sudden thought. The memory from before decided to invade her mind once again, forcing her cheeks to burn even brighter.

That image of that near-kiss was enough to make her feel faint.

"Sakura-san? Sakura-san?" Lee gently shook her shoulders, his face frantic. "Are you okay, Sakura-san? Your face! It's all red!"

Sakura was slightly taken aback when she suddenly found herself looking face-to-face at Lee. She chuckled nervously, hoping that Lee wouldn't discover the cause of her lack of concentration.

This is all Sasuke's fault! If he hadn't stared at her like that, she wouldn't become like this!

_Right..._ Inner-Sakura snapped at her sarcastically. _As if you didn't enjoy his stares..._

Sakura scowled. Next time, she was going to teach her inner thoughts how to shut up.

But then… why was Sasuke-kun staring at her like that? It wasn't that she didn't like getting his attention. It was just that his stares were turning her into a complete mush…

…and she was starting to have the strangest feeling that butterflies were living inside her stomach.

Sakura knew that glancing at Sasuke again would make her lose her mind once more, but the temptation was far too great for her to resist. Lee was blocking her view of Sasuke, so she shifted a little and tilted her head to the side in order to catch a glimpse of her dark-haired teammate. Much to her surprise, Sasuke was no longer standing there.

"I'm all right, Lee-san…" She murmured to Lee, before wondering where Sasuke went. _Stop it! _She scolded herself as soon as she realized where her thoughts were leading her. _Stop thinking about him and focus!_ "Anyway, let's spar now, Lee-san!" She blurted out, trying to sound all cheerful and excited so Lee would stop worrying about her.

Once they start training again, she'd eventually forget about him!

"Are you sure, Sakura-san?" Lee asked uncertainly. "Your face still looks really red. Do you have a fever?"

Sakura sweat dropped. She watched Lee lift his right hand before he reached out for her. His palm was just about to make contact with her forehead when Sakura's eyes caught something glinting right across the sky.

Her eyes widened in shock when that **something** turned out to be a kunai and it was dangerously heading their way… or to be more precise, straight towards her companion's head!

Sakura opened her mouth to shout at Lee to watch out, but it seemed that Lee already knew about the incoming danger. He leaned back a little and caught the kunai between his fingers before somersaulting a few meters away from her. He landed on the ground with a grace that only a beautiful green beast of Konoha could do.

"No worries, Sakura-san!" He granted her a huge smile and a thumbs-up, apparently enjoying the way she gaped at him in awe after he executed one of his nifty moves.

Sakura, seeing that her companion didn't have a kunai stuck on his head, wanted to sigh in relief. But as soon as she noticed the red tag that was attached on the kunai, it made her gasp out loud instead. "Lee-san! Look out!"

She saw Lee narrow his eyebrows at her in confusion. But as soon as he looked down at the object that he was holding, she could have sworn that his eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets.

There was a loud blast, followed by huge puffs of grey smoke. Sakura, who had covered herself with her arms from the small explosion, tried to cry out to Lee. It took a few minutes before the smoke was finally cleared. Sakura didn't waste any more time and immediately rushed forward in order to find her friend. She found him leaning weakly against one of the trees.

"Lee-san!" She called out to him worriedly as she hurried towards his side. His face and arms were all dirty and his green suit was almost torn to shreds. He wasn't seriously hurt, much to Sakura's relief, but there were bruises on some parts of his body.

Lee forced out a weak chuckle as he looked at Sakura's worried eyes. "I'm okay, Sakura-san…" He coughed as he tried to walk. He stumbled and would have fallen to the ground if Sakura's arms hadn't caught him just in time.

"Where in the world did that kunai come from?" Sakura was angry. Lee squinted his eyes when she nearly screamed in his ears. "I swear, once I get my hands on that jerk I'll…!"

"You'll what?"

Both heads turned their attention to where the low voice came from. Sakura's anger immediately disappeared as soon as she saw who the culprit was. "S-Sasuke-kun…?"

For a long moment, the trio continued to stare at each other. Sakura noted that Sasuke wasn't looking at her, mainly because he was busy looking straight at Lee. For some weird reason, she started to get nervous. She didn't really have any reason to be uneasy because the two men weren't exactly glaring daggers at each other. Sasuke was just looking at Lee with an impassive look on his face while Lee continued to stare up at him in confusion.

So, why was she being so nervous then?

It was because of the sudden tension in the air… and it was starting to grow thick.

Sakura had the strangest feeling of déjà vu.

Deciding that she had enough of this uncomfortable silence, Sakura finally cleared her throat. "Sasuke-kun… Why did you…?"

"My hands slipped."

Another bout of silence…

Did she just hear that?

"Umm… I'm sorry, what did you say again…?" She asked, not believing her ears.

He frowned. "I was training with kunais and I slipped." And with that, he turned his back from them and headed towards the center of the training grounds.

Sakura didn't know if she was just hearing things or not.

Sasuke… slipped?

"Well… I guess even the genius Uchiha makes mistakes once in a while." She heard Lee mutter beside her before he turned towards her with a playful grin. Sakura forced herself to nod at Lee, but deep inside her, she knew that this wasn't just any accident.

It wasn't that Sasuke doesn't make any mistakes, it was just that from all the years that team 7 had trained together, she rarely saw Sasuke slip, especially when it came to accuracy with weapons. Not that Sasuke was as great as Ten-Ten when it came to weapons, but she knew that the man was quite skillful with handling kunais.

Also, if Sasuke really **did**slip when he was training, the odds are that the kunai wouldn't head that accurately at the direction of Lee's head. Or better yet, if Sasuke really **was**training with kunais, where were the other kunais then? And why was it that she didn't hear or see them explode like this one did?

Just what was Sasuke trying to do? Kill Lee?

Sakura shook her head as she suppressed the urge to laugh at where her thoughts were leading her.

Maybe she was just jumping to conclusions… Maybe Sasuke really did slip and this was all just a big accident… Sasuke was only human, after all. Genius or not, he was still bound to make mistakes every now and then…

But even so… Sakura was still having a hard time believing it… and she knew the reason why.

Lee's coughing fits interrupted Sakura's train of thoughts. She turned her full attention to him and lowered him to the ground as gently as she could. "Maybe you should rest for a bit, Lee-san." She whispered to him as she brushed his hair away from his face. Lee instantly blushed like a ripe tomato at her gentle touch. "We'll train later."

"I-I'm all right, Sakura-san…!" She heard him protest, but she shushed him and told him to rest for a few hours.

He was going to fall asleep whether he liked it or not anyway… If Lady Tsunade was teaching her right, the faint smell that she managed to get a whiff on his shirt was a sleeping powder. Sakura suspected that the powder must have been attached to the exploding tag.

And that was the whole reason why she didn't believe the 'Sasuke **slipped** thing'.

_Sasuke-kun… what are you trying to do?_ She thought in wonder as she looked at Lee. He was already fast asleep, just as she suspected. _And where did you get that sleeping powder…?_

"Took him long enough."

His voice nearly made Sakura jump ten foot in the air. "S-Sasuke-kun!" She gasped out his name before she turned to look at him.

She was surprised when she saw him glaring at Lee. But when Sasuke noticed her staring at him, his features returned back to his normal poker-faced expression.

Sakura knew that she should be angry with him for doing such a nasty thing to Lee. She stood up and took a step closer to him. Whatever his problems are, he still didn't have the right to do that to Lee! She was about to open her mouth to yell at him or something when Sasuke beat her to it.

"Sakura." He started, his voice deadly serious. "We need to talk."

**To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine. 

**Chapter 6**

"Darn right we do!"

Sasuke was a bit startled when Sakura suddenly glared up at him with a defiant look on her face. "Sasuke-kun… I don't know what your problem is, but do you really have to knock Lee-san out just so you can talk to me?"

She was yelling at him… and it was all because he put Thick Eyebrows to sleep.

He raised an eyebrow at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. Why in the hell was she getting mad at him for? It wasn't like he stabbed Thick Eyebrows repeatedly with his kunais or anything! All he did was knock him out cold!

Besides, Thick-Eyebrows wasn't seriously hurt. Even if he wanted him to be, he knew that the force of the blast from the exploding tag wasn't enough to put a dent on that green weirdo.

That was why he attached that sleeping powder in the first place.

Heck! She should be thankful that that was all he did to that damn beast.

"Why are you doing this, Sasuke-kun?" She demanded, her green eyes burned with supressed fury and something else that he couldn't quite understand.

_Why? _He already asked that question to himself a million times before. But sadly, he still couldn't come up with a decent answer. He just didn't want to see her with Thick Eyebrows! Isn't that reason good enough?

And besides, Thick Eyebrows wasn't a good teacher. Just look what happened to him! If he had been paying attention to what he was doing instead of showing off his skills, he wouldn't be sprawled on the ground like an idiot right now.

Sasuke glared down at her, hoping she'd get scared enough to forget about this whole 'Lee accident'. Unfortunately, the pink-haired kunoichi continued to meet his glare with one of her own... and it didn't look like she was thinking of backing down.

_Time surely has changed... _Sasuke thought amusedly as he studied this girl who was brave enough to challenge him to a glaring contest.

Years before, she couldn't meet him in the eye without blushing or stuttering like an idiotic fan girl would do. No matter how many times he treated her like dirt, she never fought back and would just cry in one corner or something.

But now... she actually yelled at him! And not to mention, she was actually glaring at him at this very moment...

Sasuke didn't know if he should be happy or sad at the sudden turn of events...

"Well?" Sakura tapped her foot on the ground. Her hands moved to rest on each side of her hips. "Sasuke-kun..."

"Come with me."

This surprised Sakura, but she shook her head in reply. "Tell me the reason why you're doing this first!" She said, her stubborn nature kicking in. She narrowed her eyebrows at him even further. "Did Lee-san do something bad to you? Why did you knock him out? And why..."

"That's why we need to talk." Sasuke stated coldly. "You want to know, right? Then come with me." He grabbed her arm before she could protest and was about to drag her deeper into the woods when she struggled. This forced Sasuke to stop.

"What now?" He snapped.

"What about Lee-san...?" She glanced back at the unconscious guy with a worried look on her face.

Sasuke frowned. "Leave him."

"But Sasuke-kun...!"

"Look." He jerked her arm towards him to gain her full attention and caused Sakura to cry out in surprise. "I thought you wanted to know why I'm doing this!" He threw Thick Eyebrows a glance before he glared down at Sakura again. "That man won't go anywhere. He's fast asleep!"

"But what if...?"

"Nothing's going to eat him, Sakura." Sasuke thought with scowl. "Now let's just go. I want to get this over and done with."

"I never said something would... oh nevermind!" He heard her heave an exasperated sigh before she finally let herself get dragged by him deeper into the forest.

Fifteen minutes passed before Sasuke decided to stop walking. They were finally in a safe distance away from Thick Eyebrows. He let go of her arm and turned to face her with a cold expression. He cursed himself when he saw Sakura rub her arm absentmindedly as she averted her eyes away from him.

He really should be more gentle with her next time.

Silence slowly crawled in the air. Sasuke would have welcomed the stillness but he still had a mission to complete.

It was then that he realized that Sakura wasn't angry with him any longer. In fact, she looked pretty uncomfortable as she stood there in front of him. A blush tainted her cheeks as she continued to look at everywhere but him. She kept avoiding his gaze as if she was afraid that he would eat her alive or something like that.

What happened to the fiery Sakura from before?

Then again, he couldn't really blame her for being like this all of a sudden...

He just did something that was so... not him. The Uchiha Sasuke that they all knew would never lose his temper just because he saw one of his teammates training with another guy. He would never throw a kunai with an explosive tag and a sleeping powder on a guy who attempted to get overly familiar with his teammate. He would never drag one of his teammates in a secluded spot just so he could tell her about some... things... that no one would ever expect him to talk about.

No. The orginal Uchiha Sasuke would never let these things happen to him because power and revenge were all he ever cared about. He didn't have these emotions, mainly because these feelings made him so pathetically weak. Hatred and loneliness were the only feelings that he learned to live with.

But that was a long time ago. The Sasuke that they all knew years ago was gone. And it was all because time and the people all around him changed him into the kind of person that he was right now.

He still couldn't say if they changed him for the better or for the worse, though, because one thing's for sure...

These damn hormones weren't making it a tad easier for him!

_Fuck you, puberty... and Naruto for telling me to get on with it!_

"Umm... Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's nervous voice snapped him back to reality. "I know that you do things for a reason... so I'll let you go this time." Sasuke wasn't sure if she was teasing him or not. "But you really shouldn't have involved Lee-san in this."

Sasuke sighed in exasperation. So she was still upset with that Thick Eyebrows thing? "Sakura... How many times do I have to tell you? Thick Eyebrows is alive. He's just sleeping."

She frowned. "I know that! And will you please stop calling him Thick Eyebrows? I know that his eyebrows are too thick for his own good, but you don't have to rub it in like that!"

Sasuke rubbed his temple in an attempt to stop an incoming headache. "Sakura, shut up for a minute, okay? I didn't drag you here just to talk about Thick Eyebrows..."

"Then what is it, Sasuke-kun? **Why** didyou drag me here?" She sounded so unusally demanding, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

Couldn't she wait? He still didn't know what he was going to say just yet!

How was he going to say it, anyway? I'm getting incredibly horny because of you? Fuck. There was no way he was gonna say a stupid thing like that! Only that dobe, Naruto, is idiotic enough to say such words.

Then how was he gonna say it then? And how in the hell would he explain what happened to both of them a few weeks ago without getting uncomfortable as hell? And if he **did** manage to say it, how could he be sure that all his pent-up desires wouldn't bother him anymore?

"Sasuke-kun? Are you okay?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise when he found himself just a few inches away from her face. She was gazing at him with innocent green eyes, her full pink lips half-open in wonder...

...and looking so delightfully tempting.

_Oh shit..._

"I'm fine..." He muttered darkly before forcefully turning his back to her. _Darn it... This girl's gonna be the death of me._

Moments passed by and neither of them said a word. Sasuke cursed himself again and again. He couldn't do it. He couldn't say it. Shit! He was making a complete fool out of himself!

After a few minutes of vein popping and fists clenching, he finally managed to calm himself down.

That's it. He'd just say whatever damn words that he could think of... "Sakura..." He began as he once again turned to face her.

Sakura blinked up at him, her face filled with innocence and confusion. She flinched slightly when she saw the edgy expression that was plastered on his face.

Sasuke could feel his blood boiling. She looked so enticingly... Damn it! Why was it that he was the only one who was suffering here?

"Sakura..." He made sure that his voice was steady enough before he decided to continue.

Before he could stop himself, however, his mouth blurted out the first thing that came inside his mind.

"I'm getting horny..."

Sakura looked like she was hit by thousands of chidoris. Her face was deathly pale as she gaped at him, her green eyes as wide as saucers. "You're... you're what?" She stuttered the question as if she had trouble breathing.

What did he just say? "Wha... Shit! That's not what I meant!" He growled out, his temper rising at a critical rate. Gods! This just couldn't get any worse. "It's because of you! Your stupid plan did this to me!"

She stared up at him, shock and total confusion written plainly on her face. "Wh-What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun? I don't..."

"Your plan! Can't you remember? The fan girls? At the alley? The bushins?" He exclaimed, his patience wearing dangerously thin. "Darn it, Sakura." He marched in front of her and glared down at her furiously.

Sakura shrank back. "P-Plan...? What plan?" She practically stuttered beneath him. She was still shaken because of what Sasuke just said to her. "Sasuke-kun," He saw her gulp. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She stood her ground, her eyes forced to meet his intense gaze.

_Hell..._ He glanced down and noticed that her knees were shaking. He could even hear her heart thumping wildly in his ears! Or maybe it was his heart...?

This just couldn't get any worse.

"Sakura... Can't you remember anything? Can't you remember what happened after my fangirls..." He spat the word 'fan girls' as if it was the most disgusting word ever. "...insulted you?" He asked in a little gentler voice.

_Darn it, she'd better remember!_

Sakura bit her lip nervously. Her gaze darted to all directions except on him. Obviously, she was as nervous as hell. Sasuke couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for yelling at her like that.

After a few more minutes of pointless staring, Sasuke finally gave up.

It seemed like talking wouldn't work. Does that mean he'd have to force her to remember everything that had happened by doing **it** again? Hell... this isn't good. He didn't want to resort to that! He didn't know if he could stop himself from doing something... more!

But how in the heck was he gonna tell her then? How the fuck could he make her remember?

He didn't have any choice... did he?

"Sakura..." He braced himself for what he was gonna do next. "Don't get the wrong idea."

And with that, his arms encircled her waist as he crushed his lips down to hers.

* * *

The kiss wasn't gentle nor romantic. But damn, it was so hot! Sakura thought she was gonna faint in absolute pleasure! It was hard and overly demanding. He rubbed his tongue against hers again and again as if it was the most natural thing to do. 

Sakura could do nothing but sigh into his mouth.

What was she supposed to say to him again?

She couldn't remember at all.

In fact, she was having trouble thinking. Sasuke's mouth ignited so much passion deep within her, she never wanted him to stop. She moaned when he nibbled her lower lip before he traced his wet tongue over her half-parted mouth.

She could hear Inner-Sakura whooping in joy...

She was just about to respond to his kiss when he forcefully pulled away from her. He leaned his forehead against her as he let his ragged breath mingle with her own. Both of them neither said a word for a moment and just stared at each other's eyes.

"Well?" He finally broke the silence. Sakura didn't understand what he was trying to say. She was too entranced at the tone of his voice. It sounded so husky and...

"Sakura."

"Huh? What?" She was still having trouble getting her wits back. The kiss jumbled her thoughts completely.

She felt him sigh, his breath hot against her cheeks.

Oh no... the butterflies inside her stomach were starting to move again!

"Do you remember now?" He sounded so forced, as if he was still having a hard time catching his breath. "Sakura?"

Remember? What was she supposed to remember? Or better yet, how could she remember anything now? She was already having problems believing that he had just kissed her a second ago, so how could he expect her to remember anything else? Or let alone think?

She gasped when she felt his arms tighten around her. "Sakura... remember, damn it!"

He pushed her a few steps back. Everything happened so fast. When she finally got her wits back, she found herself leaning against the strong trunk of a tree. He pinned her body against the tree with his own before he kissed her again, his mouth slanted over hers numerous times. Before Sakura knew what she was doing, both her arms wounded around his neck as she forced him to deepen his kisses even more.

However, this bold action made him growl into her lips. He jerked his mouth away from hers, his breathing more ragged than ever. Sakura collapsed against his chest in response.

"Stop... that..." He muttered to her. Sakura could imagine him scowling down at her with his dark eyes filled with unsaid desire. "Don't... tempt me..."

As soon as she heard that, Sakura was instantly lost for words. She looked up at him with her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Sasuke-kun... what?"

He interrupted her. "I said, don't get the wrong idea."

Wrong idea? "Then why are you doing this?" She was so confused by what Sasuke was trying to tell her, she didn't know what to say or do. She tried to back away from him, but she was trembling so much she could barely get her legs to support her.

He must have realized that she was trying to get away from him because he gripped her waist even tighter. "I'm trying to make you remember..."

Remember? Just what in the world was he trying to make her remember? She just couldn't understand him at all! And what does kissing have anything to do with it?

For all she knew, she never kissed anyone on the lips before. This was her very first kiss!

Or so she thought... before a lone memory decided to creep inside her head.

Several blurred images suddenly flashed before her eyes. Someone was kissing her... She was enjoying it... Hands were exploring... Her moans were echoing across the silent walls inside the alley...

Sakura blinked in surprise. _What...?_

Someone was holding her tight... something wet was trailing down her neck... She could hear people gasping all around her...

Before she could see more, pain shot through her head. Her ams that were wounded around Sasuke's neck immediately broke loose as she brought her hands up to her face.

The pain... it hurts so much... it hurts too much...!

She could hear someone yelling, but she couldn't understand what the person was trying to say. Her head felt like it was being split into two! She heard herself whimper, and the next thing she knew, tears were flooding down her cheeks.

"Sakura?"

It took a few more agonizing seconds before the pain finally disappeared. She fluttered her eyes open and took her hands away from her face. Her head continued to throb, but thankfully, it was not as painful as before.

"Hey." She saw two dark eyes staring at her in... concern?

She forced her mouth to speak, but no words came out except a silent moan.

She knew she had to get a hold of herself. She tried to take a step back, but she realized that she couldn't. She looked down and found herself sitting down on the grassy ground. Sasuke was kneeling next to her. "Sasuke-kun...? What...?"

"Do you remember now?" He interrupted her again with the same question that he kept on asking from before.

"Remember...?" She whispered to herself. Yes, she remembered now. Sasuke kissed her inside the alley... It was his hot tongue that trailed across her neck... It was his hands that...

Wait a minute...!

Sakura's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

From the way her eyes grew huge and the way her mouth gaped wide open, Sasuke knew that she finally remembered what happened between the two of them a few weeks ago. 

Good.

It was a close one... It was a good thing she finally got her memory back.

He slowly got up and took a few steps away from her. He could only hope that after this, he wouldn't suffer any hormonal urges anymore. He had released all his desires on those few kisses that they shared a while ago, after all. That should be enough to put a stop to all these madness, right?

Hopefully.

He tilted his head to the side in order to take a look at her once again. His eyebrows twitched when he saw her still looking as shocked as ever.

Was it really that shocking...?

Yes it was.

Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura?" He called her attention. It took him a few tries before he finally distrupted her thoughts. He was a little startled when she gazed at him with an unreadable expression on her face. "Now that you remembered..." He trailed off, her look made him unusually uncomfortable. "You'd better stay away from me if you know what's good for you."

He didn't waste any more seconds. He was gone in a blink of an eye.

* * *

Later that night, a certain pink-haired girl continued to thrash on her bed. She made weird sounds in her sleep as she unconsciously let her pillows and bedsheets drop down to the floor. 

Obviously, she was having a very disturbing dream.

But fortunately, she was not the only one.

Because there was a certain Uchiha who was having the same dreams as she was.

The only difference was, his was a full-blown nightmare.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N:**

Yay! Yay! Thank you so much for reading! You guys have no idea just how much I appreciate your wonderful reviews! I hope I'd see you all again in my future fics! XD


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